Steve & Stef

This is one of my newest favorite couples. Rachel and I had the honor of photographing this couple. Steve is studying to be a pastor, and he is the most down to earth guy. He's not afriad to be real and to laugh. But then he really is interested in you and talks about "real" and important topics. There needs to be more pastors like this. Stephanie is an actress. What a combination. She is starring in an upcoming film called Billy Graham: the early years. I love how passionate and sincere she is about life. As a couple they love to surf, spearfish, eat fish, and cook. And playing games as well. Next time we have a nertz game scheduled with you guys! This is the kind of couple who is refreshing to be around. So you can imagine how original and fun their shoot was. We ended the sweet day of shooting with cooking dinner. Steve taught us how to make homeade pasta. Mmm. They made a sweet Italian meal and we went home full, and with good times..

This shot was an accident, but i love how timeless it looks.

I always love it when the shoots get silly. People are real and themsevles when they are silly. I'm silly, even when i shoot sometimes. Trust me, Rachel knows I have a part time job making her laugh. Both Steve & Steph were having a great time making each other laugh. I believe this is what they will most want to see later in their photos, is the simplicity and fun of their relationship. I think this session really tells it all...

Below here, this is classic, i love their creativity and how they brought out their favorite things in life.

Below: This last shot was pretty hard to do, it was pretty much dark out, too dark to read even, but we made it work. With Pepperdine in the background, and a perfect picnic setting, the shot came out sweet.

my settings were Aperture:F1.2, Shutter Speed:1/20th, ISO 1600, hand held with a 50mm 1.2 lens. It took many shots to get this one. but i got it to work, I had to focus manually and braket the focal distance, cause i pretty much could not see through the lens it was so dark.

I think i ate more than my fair share of these bruchetta. Nice job Steve & Steph. Can't wait till next time we hang out and the wedding!

Danielle and Patrick E-Session

Danielle is going to marry Pat in a few weeks. She is starting up her own wedding planning business.

We spent the warm morning shooting around the rural area outside town. It was fun. My favorite part about them is how they have fun. I think its so important to be silly, funnny, goofy in life. To be humble and free to do that in front of the camera just for your fiance, or your wife or husband (someday with your kids) is something that shows your level of comfort, down to earth(ness) and how simple and fun life should be. I love it. I'm sitting here listening to Jack Johnson and relaxing. Sorry for that last sentence, if it didn't make sense, listen to some jack and check out the photos, you'll see what i mean...

have a terrific day...